SIG Focus: Public School Counselors

From the January 13, 2016 NACAC Bulletin:

Co-Leaders of the Public School Counselors Special Interest Group

Eloise Schneider, Miramonte High School (CA)

Sheila Welsh, College Park High School (CA)

​NACAC Special Interest Groups (SIGs) nurture the growing diversity in our association by providing “micro” communities where members can network and add value to their membership experience. These smaller subsets of members are formed for the purpose of knowledge sharing and discussion among members with similar interests whether they are specific subjects, issues or type of institution, or students they serve.

The emphasis of the Public School Counselor SIG is to develop a “voice” for the public school counselors in NACAC affairs and policies. This SIG hopes to bring public school counselors together to voice their common concerns and frustrations about the college process and hopefully find solutions through professional sharing of ideas and solutions.

How do we do this? A Public School Counselor SIG Exchange Group has been created and all public high school counselors who attended the 2015 NACAC National Conference were invited to participate.  To date only one third of those counselors have signed up. We encourage all public high school counselors to participate in this online group formed specifically for you.

The Public School Counselor SIG meeting in San Diego had record-breaking attendance with many first-timers. Because of record attendance at the conference, many of us were unable to attend our first choice sessions. Several comments were made that there were not enough sessions applicable for public high school counselors.

What can we do about that? If you are a public school counselor, consider submitting a proposal for the next conference. Get involved with your local ACAC and do a presentation at a local conference first. You will then be more comfortable presenting on a larger scale. Volunteer to assist at an ACAC conference or college fair.  Representation and active participation from public high school counselors is a key component to meeting the needs and goals of NACAC. Put on your thinking cap and come up with ideas/suggestions for sessions you would like presented. Share your ideas with others and together we will make a difference!